Why Scots drug deaths tally is on the increase

The stark headline figure is that suspected drug deaths in Scotland rose by nearly 10 per cent last year. But the critical question to answer here is why.

In 2023, Police Scotland reported 1,197 suspected drug deaths – nearly a

10 per cent increase on 2022’s figures, when police reported 1,092 deaths. The deaths still seem to be most common in one demographic – Glaswegian men between the ages of 35 and 54.

The majority of suspected drug deaths were among men (73 per cent), and 66 per cent of the deaths were of people aged between 35 and 54. This is broadly in line with previous periods.

However, these statistics are unlikely to be the whole picture. Police Scotland records the number of suspected drug deaths it attends, which makes it very likely that most, if not all, of these deaths are overdose incidences, given people with drug-related conditions such as Aids or Hepatitis are likely to die in a hospital.

So, why is it likely that overdoses have increased?

That’s down to two main reasons – polydrug use and new, synthetic drugs.

Opiates and benzodiazepines, which decrease anxiety and slow the central nervous system, were the two most detected drugs. This often came in conjunction with each other, which amplifies the effects of the drugs and suppresses breathing.

There has also been an upward trend in the use of synthetic opio ids. ni ta zen es are incredibly potent – often many times the strength of heroin – and are often mis-sold as other drugs or cut into heroin, leading drug users to inadvertently overdose.